Starting A Construction Business Requires Sacrifice

Starting a construction business is quite often an exciting time because it often means leaving behind a job that you disliked, a boss that drove you nuts, or just a general daily grind that left you feeling numb inside. There’s nothing wrong with feeling this excitement and sense of freedom. But it’s also important not to become so enamored with your idea that it distracts you from the hard work ahead.

I could gloss over the potential issues involved with starting a construction business but that wouldn’t be fair or honest. Instead I need to offer up some realism. The cold, hard truth is that your new business will require major sacrifices. Unfortunately, there is a price to pay for getting the freedom that comes with your own business, and you should be aware of this ahead of time. It’s not all about cashing checks and setting your own schedule. There will be times when being your own boss is a major pain in the rear.  You will come to understand that there are no totalities in the life of a business owner - there are only trade-offs.  You will need to decide what gets prioritized and what gets cut.

First of all, you should expect to spend at least 60 hours a week on your new venture in the beginning stages, and quite possibly much more.  Yes, you read that right.  The days of clocking in at eight and clocking out at five are over, friend.  When you’re the man you have a whole host of new responsibilities that will demand more time than you ever thought possible.  Small business owners often wear several “hats” in the early stages, so don’t be surprised that you’re doing the marketing, the paperwork, the selling, the hiring, the training, the accounting, and the labor all at the same time.  If you really think that you can fit all that into a 40 hour work week then be my guest.  It just isn’t realistic, okay?  It will be like wrapping your lips around a fire hose and opening the valve to full blast.  Down the road the workload will lessen as you are able to bring in people to pick up certain roles in the company, but early on it will be up to you to get everything done.  This could mean missed vacations, missed dinners, missed soccer practices, etc.  In other words, if you don’t have an understanding wife then you might want to stick with the day job, okay buddy?

The other major sacrifice to keep in mind is money. It is true that in the long run you can make a very good living with your own construction business but it is often very difficult starting out. This is because you’re hit with huge startup costs while at the same time not seeing quite the project volume that will come further down the road. This can create a stressful home life, as you might imagine. The best way to handle this situation is to have several months of savings put aside so that your living expenses and bills will get paid while your budding business is getting off the ground. If you have no savings to fall back on then you could setting yourself up for a financial disaster. Trust me on this one, not only for your sake but for the sake of your family.

There's on other thing to keep in mind when starting a remodeling business, and it's to be prepared for the reality that there will still be times when you may need to kiss someone's proverbial butt.  I know, the reason you want to start your own company is so that you don't have to brown nose anymore, but the truth is that this is just a part of life.  True, you can tell an unruly homeowner to kiss off whenever you feel like because you're the boss, but remember that the more often you do this the harder it will be for your company's bottom line to grow.  Anyone you tick off will spread false rumors and accusations about you to anyone who will listen, be it online, at a party, or in social settings, so it behooves you to try to appease everyone you can.  This won't always be possible but the more you can bite your tongue the quicker your profits will accelerate, period.  It's a trade-off.  Swallow some pride in exchange for more money in your pocket.  The choice is yours.

As you can see it’s not all fun and games when you start a small construction operation. The long-term benefits are often amazingly good, but you should be prepared to make huge sacrifices in the short run. I tell you this not to scare you off but just to prepare you for what is to come. If you can’t see yourself being able to make these sacrifices then perhaps you should find another kind of business or stay where you are in your career.